Contact: Jeff
Hennie, Vice President of Government Ralations and Public
Affairs

MRF Testifies Before Maryland State Senate

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) was asked to testify before the Maryland State Senate Committee on Judicial Proceedings on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. The bill is SB 488, which would modernize the current Maryland mandatory motorcycle helmet bill. The bill is sponsored by Senator John Astle, a fellow rider.

Drafted by ABATE of MD, SB 488 would change the mandatory helmet requirement to allow for adult choice. According to the bill, Marylanders would be able to choose to wear a helmet as long as they met the age requirement of 21 and carry at least $10,000.00 in health insurance.

Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, stood before the committee and urged passage of the legislation. “Maryland repealed their mandatory helmet bill in 1979, but with the threat from DC that they would lose federal money if they didn't have one, the General Assembly voted it back in place in 1992, just three years before that federal blackmail practice was ended.”

“It was an honor to stand with the ABATE leadership and membership and deliver a unified message” Hennie said.

The bill faces an uphill battle on the way to becoming law, but ABATE has a good bill with a great bill sponsor who has a long history of working with both sides of the aisle in Annapolis. A vote has not yet been scheduled.

The MRF will keep you updated on this issue.

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